Bell, J.F., & Zimmerman, F. J. (2010). Shortened nighttime sleep duration in early life and subsequent childhood obesity. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(9), 840-5.
More information
Abstract
Objective
To test associations between daytime and nighttime sleep duration and subsequent obesity in children and adolescents.
Design
Prospective cohort.
Setting
Panel Survey of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplements (1997 and 2002) from US children.
Participants
Subjects aged 0 to 13 years (n = 1930) at baseline (1997).
Main Exposures
Binary indicators of short daytime and nighttime sleep duration (<25th percentile of age-normalized sleep scores) at baseline.
Main Outcome Measures
Body mass index at follow-up (2002) was converted to age- and sex-specific z scores and trichotomized (normal weight, overweight, obese) using established cut points. Ordered logistic regression was used to model body mass index classification as a function of short daytime and nighttime sleep at baseline and follow-up, and important covariates included socioeconomic status, parents' body mass index, and, for children older than 4 years, body mass index at baseline.
Results
For younger children (aged 0-4 years at baseline), short duration of nighttime sleep at baseline was strongly associated with increased risk of subsequent overweight or obesity (odds ratio = 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.80). For older children (aged 5-13 years), baseline sleep was not associated with subsequent weight status; however, contemporaneous sleep was inversely associated. Daytime sleep had little effect on subsequent obesity in either group.
Conclusions
Shortened sleep duration in early life is a modifiable risk factor with important implications for obesity prevention and treatment. Insufficient nighttime sleep among infants and preschool-aged children may be a lasting risk factor for subsequent obesity. Napping does not appear to be a substitute for nighttime sleep in terms of obesity prevention.
MeSH Terms
Adolescent
Body Mass Index
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Logistic Models
Obesity/epidemiology*
Obesity/physiopathology
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sleep*
Time Factors
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.